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The King is back!

It was March 2005, when the strongest player ever announced his retirement from professional chess. After 20 years at the top of the game, Garry Kimovich Kasparov declared: "Before this tournament, I made a conscious decision that Linares 2005 will be my last professional [tournament] and today I played my last professional game." He won Linares 2005, ahead of Topalov, Anand, Leko, Adams, Kasindzhanov and Vallejo Pons. Nonetheless, the decision had been taken: the greatest players of all time was out of the game. Kasparov was 41, and well on top of the rating list.

Here is his famous game vs. Michael Adams, in round 12

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Now let's jump forward 12 years. Garry Kasparov has become an accomplished book author, in collaboration with the fine journalist Mig Greengard. The former chess Matador has participated, though sporadically, in exhibitions, but nothing serious, after all. Many chess fans have auspicated his comeback, even affirming that he would still be able to fight with the top players. And now, probably thanks to Rex Sinquefield, the Re Mida of American chess, the King is back!